Harrogate MP blasts Harrogate Spring Water over its public survey on expansion plans
Harrogate’s MP has queried the nature of an opinion poll by Harrogate Spring Water about its controversial expansion plans after a new independent ‘flash survey’ showed the opposite result.
Tom Gordon said there was a huge difference between what Harrogate Spring Water’s recent survey had claimed and what a new poll showed about public opinion in the town.
"The company says 71% support their expansion plans,” said the Lib Dem MP, “but a new independent, neutral survey shows more than 85% are opposed.
"That’s not a small difference, it’s a complete mismatch.
"I’ve written to Harrogate Spring Water to demand full transparency: the wording of their questions, how the survey was conducted, and where respondents live.”
The latest survey of public opinion showing 86% of Harrogate residents disagree or strongly disagree with Harrogate Spring Water’s proposed bottling plant expansion was conducted by Suffrago and completed by almost 500 residents within 24 hours.
Opponents say that compares with a poll of 200 people commissioned by Harrogate Spring Water which was promoted by the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce as evidence of “strong local support.”
With a crucial planning meeting taking place on Tuesday, Pinewoods Conservation Group, said: “This new independent survey confirms what the community has been saying for years - local people do not support this destructive and legally questionable expansion.
"The claim of ‘strong local backing’ simply doesn’t stand up.
"Our residents value Rotary Wood and Harrogate’s green spaces far more than they value more lorries, noise, and lost biodiversity.
"With key surveys still missing and planning conditions unmet, this application should not even be on the table.”
A spokesperson for Suffrago said: “We wanted to give residents a genuine, unbiased voice and, in less than 24 hours, hundreds of people responded.
"The result is clear: Harrogate overwhelmingly opposes this development.”
The Suffrago survey also showed concern over the loss of Rotary Wood in the water company’s plans.
Suffrago is a political technology company that uses AI, data, and polling to help citizens engage with democracy, primarily at a local level.
More information on Suffrago at: https://www.suffrago.org/